Warrior Night, Warrior Hearts
by Splash of Blue
Summary: The Crystal Warriors need Martin's help- but will he agree, and will Ruebee find the love she seeks?


A/N This is my first Redwall fic so please don't be too hard on me! I know I put the genre as romance, there will be romance in future chapters so please bear with me.  
  
Warrior Night, Warrior Heart  
  
The forest was dark, and eerie, and silent.  
  
The band of creatures strode grimly on through the night, warriors all. Ruebee Firestorm, the mouse leader, halted suddenly, alerted by a scuffling sound in the bushes behind her.  
  
"Hey! Who's there?" the warrior mousemaid called, gripping the ruby-topped staff she carried as a mark of her leadership tighter. There was a further sound, then silence.  
  
"Ivee, check what's going on, will you?" she asked her best friend and fellow leader, a tall muscly female squirrel who carried a staff topped with a great glinting emerald.  
  
"Will do Ruebee," answered Ivee, swinging out into the trees with a small, pawpicked party of fellow squirrels. A few minutes later they were back, carrying an otter, a young female, with them.  
  
The Crystal Warriors, a group of about two hundred warriors and young ones, were passing through the forest to reach the sea, where a large party of searats had recently landed. They had taken more than a score of young ones from the villages around, as oarslaves for their ships. Creatures for miles around feared the name of their Captain: Bloodfang. The Guosim tribe living there looked to be totally outnumbered as, from the reports, there were about five hundred searats in the invasion party. Even the Crystals would be outnumbered, so the tribe was detouring to Redwall Abbey for reinforcements.  
  
The madly struggling otter, only a few seasons old, was dumped unceremoniously on the ground at Ruebee's footpaws. Struggling upright, she spoke to Ruebee.  
  
"Let me go! I never did anything to you!" she said defiantly.  
  
The third leader of the Crystal Warriors, a big, brawny female otter named Saffire Bluesword, stepped up and spoke soothingly to the captive.  
  
"We won't hurt ye, matey, an' we'll let ye go in a while. What's your name, liddle 'un, and how come you're alone in this forest?"  
  
"My name's Seafoam, an' I ain't your matey!" came the rude reply. A young shrew, Bandel, imitated her spitefully.  
  
"I b'ain't your matey!"  
  
Ruebee swiftly cuffed him with the back of her paw and sent him reeling before she turned back to the young otter, Seafoam.  
  
"A li'l more politeness wouldn't go amiss, seeing as you're with tenscore warriors, missy. But I like your style; you've got a lot of spunk for a li'l 'un. Like my matey 'ere said, how come you're alone in this big ole forest?"  
  
There was an audible sob in the young otter's voice as she finally deigned to reply.  
  
"Searat raid up the coast. I think I'm the only one left from my holt. I've been wand'ring round fer a couple o' days now."  
  
Ruebee's reply, when it came, was in a much softer voice. "Are the others dead or captured?"  
  
"Mainly dead, I think. But they captured about a score of our liddle 'uns, and mebbe a couple o' the ole 'uns got away, but I don' know about that."  
  
Saffire spoke for all of them."Well, you're with us now, matey!"  
  
"Too right", the squirrelqueen Ivee seconded. "That is, if ye want t'be!"  
  
Seafoam nodded tearfully. "Please."  
  
"Well, that's done", said Ruebee firmly. "But first, introductions! I'm Ruebee Firestorm an' I lead the Crystal Warriors, that's this ugly bunch behind me. The big squirrel, who ain't nearly as pretty as me, is my best mate, Ivee Surepaw, an' the giant otter, who'd likely brain me if I said too much about 'er, is my other best mate, Saffire Bluesword. When I said I lead the Warriors, I meant all three of us. We're heading north to deal with the searat threat, though clearly we're not marchin' quick enough if the stinking vermin've got to your place already. Mebbe you'd like to do some fighting of yore own when we catch up with 'em?"  
  
Seafoam recovered completely at the mention of fighting, and she nodded eagerly.  
  
"Well, you can have one of my daggers for now, liddle 'un, and we'll see about kitting you out properly when we 'ave chance. For now, join Saff's part of the gang; she'll keep an eye out for you and see you meet some new friends. That sound all right to you?"  
  
Seafoam nodded again.  
  
"Right, well, we'd best get some shuteye: it's too late to walk any more. Ivee, your lot can do first watch, okay?"  
  
"No probs Rube", answered Ivee. "All right, you ugly lot, time to bed down fer the night. We'll be up at dawn tomorrow!"  
  
*~*  
  
Amid the carnage in the cave, somebeast stirred. With a muffled groan the otter, a fully grown female, dragged herself out from under the carcass of her mate. Her leg was torn and bloody, and one of her ears was missing, but she found that, with a little effort, she could walk fairly well. She searched the cavern for her babe, a pretty little female, but no inquisitive youngster met her eyes. Not even the body could be found. A sudden thought struck the otter. There were no young ones in the cave: no bodies, no traces. She thought of the searats they had been fighting so disastrously, and moaned as the realisation hit her. Their young ones had been captured! 


End file.
